iPhone 5 Earbud Phone Issues

macrumors newbie

Callers are telling me they are picking up a tremendous amount of background noise on my end when I'm using my new iPhone 5 with earbuds regardless if I'm only with a few people or in a larger room. Callers did not seem to complain when I used the iPhone 4S with earbuds as it did not seem to pick up the background noise when I was on calls. One caller said I sounded like I was at a rock concert and it was relatively quiet on my end. Anybody else experiencing this?

macrumors newbie

Callers are telling me they are picking up a tremendous amount of background noise on my end when I'm using my new iPhone 5 with earbuds regardless if I'm only with a few people or in a larger room. Callers did not seem to complain when I used the iPhone 4S with earbuds as it did not seem to pick up the background noise when I was on calls. One caller said I sounded like I was at a rock concert and it was relatively quiet on my end. Anybody else experiencing this?

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Exact same problem here. The funny thing is that on my end, there seems to be some extreme noise canceling - in other words when someone is not talking ALL background noise is completely eliminated. To the point that I am constantly saying "are you still there?"

I have found that if I am doing ANYTHING at all besides just sitting and talking, I have to be on mute. Typing on my keyboard, opening a sandwich, etc all create a lot of noise for my callers. One guy recently told me that it sounded like I was hammering nails while I was typing on my Macbook.

macrumors 68000

Are you using the iPhone5 earbuds, or another brand? Not sure on this one, but do the iphone earbuds have a seperate mic on them, and it does not use the mic on the phone? I wonder how it would sound if you used the iphone 4 earbuds instead.

macrumors 6502

First day using the iPhone 5 with the new earbuds and the same thing happened to me. On the phone with a client and they complained that the background noise was so bad that it sounded like someone was running a chainsaw right next to me. I switched to my old iPhone 4 earbuds and he said it got much better.

Unfortunately my iPhone 5 first day experience has not been a great one. Hoping that some of these issues will get sorted out.

macrumors newbie

Are you using the iPhone5 earbuds, or another brand? Not sure on this one, but do the iphone earbuds have a seperate mic on them, and it does not use the mic on the phone? I wonder how it would sound if you used the iPhone 4 earbuds instead.

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Yup, using the "ear pods" that come with the iPhone 5. I was on the phone with a friend on his iPhone 5 and noticed I could hear him slurping coffee and shuffling papers as if it was being broadcast in full Dolby Stereo. Very, very loud and distinct. I asked if he was on his ear pods and he was. He switched to his old Apple ear buds and the background noise went away. These new head phones have some weird noise canceling characteristics; if the background noise is "ambient" (such as lights humming) then it blocks that noise very effectively. However if there is any distinct sound, no matter how quiet (papers being repositioned, the caller sipping from a latte or farting) you can hear it all VERY VERY distinctly. It is not just amplifying the voice of the caller above the background noise, but ALL other distinct sounds. So be careful of what you do while talking in your iPhone 5!

macrumors 68000

Send Apple feedback with detailed explanation. This will never get fixed unless you do.

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Seriously, do this. Your last post was fairly detailed. The reason you heard your friend slurping coffee was that the mic hangs right near his mouth. Can you imagine talking to somebody who chews gum while on the phone?

macrumors 6502

Callers are telling me they are picking up a tremendous amount of background noise on my end when I'm using my new iPhone 5 with earbuds regardless if I'm only with a few people or in a larger room. Callers did not seem to complain when I used the iPhone 4S with earbuds as it did not seem to pick up the background noise when I was on calls. One caller said I sounded like I was at a rock concert and it was relatively quiet on my end. Anybody else experiencing this?

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same problem here. surprised there aren't more people having this issue. i think the problem exists with both the new earpods and the old earbuds.

macrumors newbie

Yep, me too! And yes, through trial and error we discovered it IS the new EarPods that come with iPhone 5. When using them, everything on my end is clear... when I speak, everything is also just fine. When I don't talk and I am listening to the person on the other end? They hear EVERYTHING, in super detail and VERY loud.... even 2 rooms away or outside. When I switched to my old iPhone headphones, off brand ones, or no headphone use at all.... no problem whatsoever. Thanks for this thread... I thought it was just me. And thanks for the suggestion about sending Apple the feedback.

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